The 147th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (147 RAC) was an

armoured Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

of the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the A ...

raised by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The regiment was created by the conversion of the 10th Battalion,

Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The regi ...

. The regiment served in

North-west Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnographically. Geographic definitions Geographically, Northw ...

from June 1944 to May 1945.

Origin

The regiment was formed by converting the 10th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, a war service battalion raised in July 1940 serving with the

201st Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) The 201st Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) was a short-lived Home Defence formation of the British Army during the Second World War. Formation and Service The 201st Independent Infantry Brigade was formed for service in the United Kingdom on 4 ...

, along with the 9th Hampshires. The regiment was commanded by

Lt. Col. Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

A.R.W.S. Koe. In common with all other infantry battalions that were transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps, the personnel would have still continued to wear their Hampshire Regiment cap badges on the black beret of the Royal Armoured Corps. The regiment named their tanks after famous past battles fought by the Hampshire Regiment, the CO's tank being named "Minden".

Service

The regiment, equipped with

Churchill tank The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, a ...

s, was assigned to the 34th Army Tank Brigade (34th Tank Brigade from June 1942) in December 1941. Serving alongside 147 RAC was the

North Irish Horse The North Irish Horse was a yeomanry unit of the British Territorial Army raised in the northern counties of Ireland in the aftermath of the Second Boer War. Raised and patronised by the nobility from its inception to the present day, it was on ...

and 153 RAC. In June 1942, the brigade became part of the 1st Mixed Division as part of an experiment with 'Mixed Divisions', of one armoured and two infantry brigades. In September, it was transferred to the 43rd Mixed Infantry Division, training in infantry-tank co-operation. However, in September 1943, the brigade became an independent brigade after the experiment with 'Mixed Divisions' was abandoned. In late June 1944, 147 RAC was sent, with the rest of the brigade, overseas to France as part of the

invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

and fought in the

Normandy Campaign Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norma ...

in particular during Operation Greenline, part of the

Second Battle of the Odon The Second Battle of the Odon comprised operations fought by the British Second Army during the Second World War. Attacks took place in mid-July 1944 against Panzergruppe West, as part of the Battle of Normandy. Operations Greenline and Pomegran ...

launched in mid-July. During the battle, 147 RAC suffered 47 casualties between 15–18 July. The regiment continued to serve with the brigade in Normandy until the breakout and later in the Siege of Le Havre (

Operation Astonia Operation Astonia was the codename for an Allies of World War II, Allied attack on the German-held English Channel, Channel port of Le Havre in France, during the Second World War. The city had been declared a ''German World War II strongholds, Fe ...

), the Battle of the Reichswald (

Operation Veritable Operation Veritable (also known as the Battle of the Reichswald) was the northern part of an Allies of World War II, Allied pincer movement that took place between 8 February and 11 March 1945 during the final stages of the World War II, Second ...

, where the regiment suffered very heavy casualties and could only muster two weak squadrons) in February 1945, and the crossing of the River Rhine (

Operation Plunder Operation Plunder was a military operation to cross the Rhine on the night of 23 March 1945, launched by the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. The crossing of the river was at Rees, Wesel, and south of the river Li ...

), when the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

invaded Germany in March 1945. After

Victory in Europe Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

, on 8 May 1945, the regiment and brigade began preparing for service in the

South-East Asian theatre The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II consisted of the campaigns of the Pacific War in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Indochina, Burma, India, Malaya and Singapore between 1941 to 1945. Japan attacked British and American terr ...

. These preparations were halted as a result of the Japanese surrender.

References

Regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps Royal Hampshire Regiment Military units and formations in Hampshire {{UK-mil-unit-stub